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Dhaka's Plastic Roads Beat Extreme Heat
10 Oct
Summary
- Roads in Bangladesh's climate crack and pothole quickly.
- Plastic-modified roads showed no distress during heatwave.
- Plastic replaced 8-10% of bitumen binder in asphalt mix.
Roads in Bangladesh, a country with a subtropical climate, often suffer from rapid degradation, developing cracks and potholes shortly after construction due to factors like extreme heat, humidity, and monsoon rains. This issue was particularly evident in April 2026, which saw a record 24 heatwave days with temperatures soaring to 42°C.
In contrast, a 300-meter pavement section in Dhaka, constructed in August 2023 using asphalt modified with 8% to 10% recycled plastic, demonstrated remarkable resilience. Civil engineers observed no visible cracking or distress on these plastic-modified sections during the intense heatwave, while conventional roads showed significant damage. This plastic-modified pavement technology, which involves replacing a portion of bitumen with melted plastic from everyday items, has also been tested in Texas.
